Hum 305 - The Cultural History of the Robot

Institution:

Washington University in St Louis

Subject:

Description:

This course surveys the history of the desire to perfect or eliminate what is most human through the creation of artificial men and women. Familiar questions-Can robots feel? Can we tell who is a robot? -are considered alongside the traditional use of robots to understand or emblematize justice, sin, progress and modernity, self-awareness or simplicity, indifference, virtuosity, authorship, invention, and art itself. Examples are drawn from both fictional and real robots in literature and in film. Texts likely include: Homer, Hesiod, Spenser, Descartes, Hobbes, Vaucanson, Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, Shelley, Hoffmann, Capek, Filisberto-Hernandez, Lem, Lang, and Scott. This course is intended primarily for sophomores considering a major in the Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities. Freshmen are considered by permission of the instructor.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wustl.edu

Phone Number:

(314) 935-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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